headphones

Solar panels need plenty of sun to work well so why not carry them around on your head? That’s the slightly off-the-wall thinking behind this U.K.-based Kickstarter campaign aiming to produce a pair of solar headphones.
The OnBeat headphones have a flexible solar panel embedded around the band where it’ll be exposed to ample rays — assuming you’re wearing the… Read More

The USPTO is big on Apple patents this morning, with a new application published around earbud technology. Apple’s own earbud designs have been mostly underwhelming, even if the last change for the stock set that comes with iPhones and iPods was an improvement. The new patent application describes tech that could be truly game-changing, however, by adjusting earbud output to match… Read More

New research suggests that noise canceling tech isn’t just for blocking out the screaming baby or chatty couple sitting next to you on that transatlantic flight – it could also greatly improve the quality, reliability and speed of our Internet connections, according to new research published by Nature Photonics and spotted by VentureBeat. By eliminating background noise… Read More

If the whole of human knowledge were to be wiped out tomorrow, how would you recreate the consumer electronics industry so you can jam out to some rockin’ tunes? Why you’d build these unique 3D-printed headphones. Except for some twists of wire, these cans consist of thin pieces of printed plastic and the speakers are actually plastic with a coil of copper wire embedded, by hand… Read More

In case you haven’t noticed, rapper Dr. Dre has his own line of headphones. They’re called “Beats By Dre” and until now, they were made in concert with the company Monster. Apparently that has changed now and Beats are its own thing now, and that’s good. I’m not a fan of Monster products, but that’s a story for another day.
I went on a bit of a tirade… Read More

A new patent application uncovered by AppleInsider today shows that Apple is working on ways to make hybrid headphones that work via both Bluetooth and a wired connection, and can switch seamlessly between the two. It’s a system designed to come in handy during physical activity, complete with the ability to recharge directly from the attached device. Read More

Since launching its first product in 2008, Beats has gone from an obscure niche headphone brand to a multi-million dollar business with plenty of star power (Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, etc.) catapulting the brand into the mainstream spawning several celebrity and musician endorsed rival brands. Now it’s going after an older crowd with the Executive over-the-ear headphones… Read More

We don’t design and hardware quite as much as we used to, but I’m making an exception for these. A good while back, I wrote about a pair of headphones I thought was the most understated and attractive I’d ever seen. They were the TMA-1s from Danish design house AIAIAI, and while I never got to get my hands on them, I’m going to make it my business to try their new pair out. Read More

With the rise in popularity of Dr. Dre’s Beats, audio company Bose saw a niche they weren’t capitalizing on – the cohort of kids who aren’t afraid of paying $229 for a pair of wildly overpriced headphones. Their reaction? To create and sell a pair of lightweight, over-ear headphones for the cool crowd for $149. Called the OE2s, these headphones feature comfortable… Read More

Need some noise canceling headphones? Sure, we all do. That’s why Audio-Technica is selling these QuietPoint active noise-canceling headphones that range from $220 to $79 for the lowest-end model. The best thing? They keep working even if the battery is dead, so you can still listen to music albeit in non-noise-canceled mode.
All models run on one AAA battery. Read More

Short version: A solid pair of headphones with some token efforts towards ruggedness. Aside from an increased resistance to water, they’re not remarkably tough, but the sound is good and the remote is nice and chunky. Read More

I’ve seen Psyko at the last two CESes, both times with their original product, a headset that uses a totally unique system to provide real surround sound. But they’ve finally put out two new headsets, both refinements to the original design. Read More

During the month of March, if you buy Sennheiser’s HD 515 headphones you’ll get a free pair of Sennheiser OMX 60 earbuds. Cool right? You can buy the cans almost anywhere, just don’t forget to send in the mail-in rebate.
Press release and rebate after the break. Read More

Short version: Klipsch’s first on-ear headphones aren’t much to look at, but they’re surprisingly powerful, almost too much so. If you like booming bass and don’t care for surround sound and all that jazz, these could be good for you. Read More

Short version: These headphones are expensive, but they’re also light, compact, and sound great. Pro tip: opt for the Kleer version, as it adds both range and fidelity for a pretty reasonable increase in price. Read More

Outdoor Technology has just come out with some dog-tag-like Bluetooth headphones called OT Tags. You can get them in either black or red and when not in use they hang down like dog tags — see what I mean? The Bluetooth headset offers stereo listening from any Bluetooth device and if the connected device is a phone, then you can also make and receive calls. Read More

Check out these neat little earbuds from Urban Ears. These hipster buds come in eight different colors, have an inline mic and remote, and the ends snap together around your neck when not in use. Read More

While Boba Fett obviously has an air of “danger and mystery,” did you know that he also enjoyed Jazz and early Dixieland? That’s right: Jango Fett, whose real name was Bruce Fitzgerald Fett and was born in Aukland, wasn’t called Jango for nothing (he dropped the silent D because they didn’t have that particular consonant combination on his adopted planet of… Read More